The Implications of Wizarding Internet
by goldenorchids12
Summary: Remus Lupin is coerced by Sirius Black to purchase a Wizarding Tablet in order to meet new people. Remus is wary of this at the start, but he soon begins to warm up to the idea once he befriends an unusual stranger. Could this turn into something more, or will he be confined to an infinite bachelor status?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 _Hello!_

A very annoying and high-pitched chime resulted in Remus Lupin having to wake up much earlier than he ever wanted to on the weekend. The chime rang out through the silent room yet again, and he was forced to grope around, searching blindly for the source of the damnable racket. His hand landed on the tiny Wizard Tablet underneath a stack of books piled high on his nightstand. Why Sirius insisted he get one of these newfangled devices, he had no idea, but he couldn't resist, if only to stop Sirius from whining incessantly that perhaps he could meet someone new. Remus grumbled to himself, knowing full well that he was just fine how he was, and didn't need the trouble of romantic entanglements now, or ever, for that matter. He was still grumbling as he was trying to dislodge the Tablet, yet slightly underestimated how much strength it would take to remove it from its considerable burden, and promptly fell on the floor of his tiny bedroom, banging his head on the wall as he went. He resigned himself to the floor for a while, as the considerable pain in his head finally subsided. Thinking that today was in fact cursed, he was willing to stay there for the remainder of time, but then another annoyingly cheerful chime came from his Tablet, and he pushed himself up to where the top of his nightstand was eye level, and managed to reluctantly free the device. He touched the screen, and it immediately lit up in very offensively bright colors, showing that he had three new messages on an app that he never wanted to get in the first place. Somehow, however, Sirius had managed to charm the device so it would only delete things if he was the one to delete them, and in so doing had managed to upload an app that allowed strangers to message you, just based on a profile. Remus had protested, but Sirius would hear none of it, insisting that someone other than himself and the Order members should be privy to his astounding intelligence. Remus had rolled his eyes at that, but had grudgingly not fought Sirius on it. He had had another moment of unwillingness once Sirius informed him that he had to make a profile, as if this was some overrated dating mechanism, but he had eventually caved once Sirius threatened to show everyone the embarrassing memory he had of Remus dancing on a table completely naked, as he thought he had been alone. The git, using blackmail… Remus sighed to himself, and opened the app with some hesitation. The screen flashed briefly, and then prompted him to put in his username and password, which he did, and then it finally opened, with his unread messages popping up as well. _Welcome, WolfLantern. You have three unread messages._ Remus rather liked his username, with the obvious "wolf" connotation, but also with the association of the muggle superhero, the Green Lantern. He had always loved those comics, and Green Lantern was by far his favorite out of the hundreds he had read. He decided that before he read the messages he would make himself a cup of tea, so he ambled his way downstairs, all the way to the basement, as that was the location of the kitchen in Grimmauld Place, which Sirius had graciously allowed him access to when he needed a break from the missions he was sent on. He quickly made himself a cup of his favorite tea, and made his way first to his room to grab the Tablet, before wandering into the library to settle himself within the confines of his favorite chair. He had another sip of tea, before setting it down on the table next to him, pulling the tablet into his lap as he did so. He scanned the usernames of the three, deciding which he should open first. He settled on the very bottom one, from someone named MoonFlower. It was a quite simple message, just "hello!", which he replied to in the same vein, but without the exclamation point, as that was far too cheerful to manage this early in the morning. He then opened the one from NovelPhoenix, which said, " _I'm not really sure how I should go about talking to a random stranger online, as this is baffling to me, and completely out of my comfort zone. But your profile was interesting, and I figured it couldn't hurt to know more about you. Are you reading anything at the moment? Your profile mentioned you loved books, and I admit I have the same pastime. I'm looking for something good to read at the moment, and figured a suggestion wouldn't hurt"._ He responded by saying that he was indeed reading something at the moment, a quite interesting muggle novel by the name of _1984,_ and asked if she had read that particular one before. Finally, he opened the one from FireAndBrimstone, which asked quite plainly, " _Is this Professor Lupin?"_ He stared at it for a bit, before deciding that it couldn't hurt to be truthful, as he had been addressed as "Professor", which meant that she had been a student of his quite a few years back. " _Yes, this is. However, I have not been a professor for a long time, so there is no need to address me as such. Who might you be?"_ Satisfied that he had answered the three messages sufficiently, he then went about his business.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Remus sighed into his hands, the full weight of his day finally pressing down on him. It had been a long one, full of research on a cure for Lycanthropy, as well as endless correspondence from Order members who appeared not to care if he died on one of his countless death missions for them into the thick of a Werewolf camp headed by Fenrir Greyback, just as long as he reported some form of information before kicking the bucket. He angrily stood up out of his chair, and decided to make himself dinner before he went absolutely raving. He settled on something simple, pasta, and began to boil the water with a flick of his wand. As he was making his hard-earned meal, he ran his hand through his hair, which had gotten a bit long, and got lost in his thoughts on the unnecessarily complicated nature that was his curse, and how he could go about breaking that down, when a chime rang through the kitchen. He recognized it as one from the app, and finished making his dinner prior to throwing himself back into his chair and grabbing the tablet so he could read and respond as he ate. _You have one new message._ Yes, thank you, had no idea… He looked and saw that it was from FireAndBrimstone. " _Yes! I knew it was you. What are you doing on this app, Professor? I'm quite surprised, actually. You don't really seem like the type to knowingly talk to strangers. Not that I am, being the youngest member of the Weasley clan, and being advised against doing such by both mum and dad. We will have to get together soon to catch up; it can't be much fun where you are. Let me know, and we can set up a time to get lunch. Lots of love! -Ginny"._ He chuckled to himself as he read the witch's message, before hitting the reply button and typing out his own message. " _Ah, yes, Miss Weasley. What a delightful pleasure it is to hear from you. I hope you are doing well; I heard from Sirius about your impending nuptials, send Harry my congratulations. You are quite right, I'm not having the best of times, but I would love to fill you in more over lunch, as you so kindly suggested. How about next week Thursday, twelve thirty? We can go to The Three Broomsticks, I haven't had a chance to go there in ages. Let me know if that's alright for you. -Remus"._ He finished his pasta as he was finishing his response, and closed out the app as he went to go clean the dishes. The promise of lunch with a friend managed to take his mind off of his work briefly, and he hummed to himself as he worked on getting the dishes back in order. He decided to take a shower, hoping that the remainder of the tension would dissipate as soon as the hot water met his skin. He was in there for ages, and didn't hear the three chimes that went off in quick succession on his Tablet. Remus went to check it as he was toweling his hair dry, and saw that he had messages from all three of his current correspondents. He opened the one from Ginny first, which stated, " _Sounds perfect! See you there!",_ and moved on to the other two. " _Oooh, no, I haven't had a chance to read that one yet, but I've only heard good things. I will have to make that one my next read, but I'm afraid that won't be for a while. I'm rather busy in my line of work at the moment, and I fear that it is sucking up all of my free time. It's nice to accomplish things, but not quite as nice to sacrifice something that is such a huge part of my personal identity. Does that make any sense? I hope so, but I'm not sure; I have barely slept in the past couple of days, and I am afraid that is finally taking its toll on my sanity. Write back soon. -NovelPhoenix"._ Remus felt a twinge of worry for the person on the other end, although he was unsure why he felt such a strong connection to this witch he didn't know. It's odd, though, he thought to himself, I feel like I have known her for years. Maybe she is someone I know? Wouldn't hurt to ask… " _Novel, you really should get some rest. I know all too well the dangers of going without sleep for too long. I hope you don't find this strange, but I think there is a chance that I may know you in my actual life. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel a connection to you that I can't really explain; a desire to protect you, even from yourself. Would you be comfortable telling me who you are? I'm not sure if you will be, and if you aren't, may I have some clue of some sort? Let me know. -WolfLantern"._ He closed out their conversation, mind still on who the witch could be, before turning his attention on the last message he had waiting in his inbox, from MoonFlower. He liked her username, something about it was soothing to him, but he couldn't put a finger on why that was. He shrugged to himself, and read what she had to say. " _How are you doing? I hope you are doing marginally well, at the very least. I really like your username; I have an affinity for wolves. And is the latter part in reference to the Green Lantern? My dad went through a phase where he only read muggle comics, and I read the ones I thought looked interesting, Green Lantern included. I figured I may as well tell you more about myself, despite not knowing the identity behind the person I am speaking to. I gather with your bio you can't be anything but Light, however, so I think I am in the clear on that front. Hmm.. What to tell you.. You know, I really don't know. I wonder if you have the same problem, or if it's just me.. I bet you are kind, though. Just a feeling I have. I'm not doing much today, so perhaps we will have a chance to speak to each other more frequently. Only if you are willing, of course. I hope you have a lovely day even if you choose not to respond. Take care. - MF."_ Remus didn't really know what to make of the mix of emotions going through his mind. He was torn between astounded disbelief that someone would recognize the significance behind his name, a bewilderment stemming from her kindness to a stranger, and a wild desire to burst out laughing. He was still staring at her message, when a decidedly different chime went off in the app, one signifying that someone wanted to chat with him. He had a brief moment of indecision on whether or not he was going to see who wanted to talk to him, before his more curious side won, and he opened the chat feature. It was from MoonFlower.

 _Hello! I hope it's alright I am messaging you here, even though you didn't respond to my other message._

 _ **Yes, it's quite alright, I only just now was able to read it. How are you?**_

 _I'm doing very well, thank you. Still unsure what exactly I should say. Do you have any ideas?_

 _ **I'm not very experienced at this type of thing either. My friend is the one who even convinced me to sign up for this app. Not sure I would have had the nerve to otherwise. Hmm.. I suppose we could start off simple, and tell each other how old we are. That isn't too revealing.**_

 _Oooh, alright. I know what you mean: my friend also convinced me. She said it was a good way to meet new people, and I suppose she is right. Although you are the only one I have properly reached out to yet. I'm twenty, by the way. How old are you?_

 _ **I.. I am a bit older than twenty. In fact, I am forty. Does that make you uncomfortable?**_

 _Not at all. Should it? I've always found that I had more in common with people not in my age group. Those around my age tend to be slightly put off by me. I suppose they consider me to be odd. Although I have no idea why that is._

Remus looked at her reply, and breathed an immediate sigh of relief. He wasn't trying to make any moves on this witch, but it put him slightly more at ease to see that she wasn't encumbered by the twenty year age gap.

 _ **I'm glad my age doesn't offend you. And, do not worry, I have a very strict moral code, and I will not be "coming on to" someone of your age. I don't think that would be very prudent. People are put off by you? Really?**_

 _Ha, well, thank you for the assurance that this can be completely friendly. I just got out of a rather serious relationship, and I think it will be quite some time before I am looking for someone to replace her with. I'm not quite sure why people find my off-putting. I try to be kind to everyone, because I believe that kindness is something everyone needs to survive._

 _ **Wise words, madam. I thank you for bestowing some of your kindness on this old man; it has been a while. I'm sorry to hear about your relationship coming to a close. If it's any consolation, I'm sure there are other women out there who would be lucky to have you.**_

 _Oh, I am actually bisexual, sir. So hopefully that opens the playing field a tad._

 _ **I wish you luck. So, what are you up to today? Anything fun? Or is the day still open?**_

 _Currently still open, although I think I am going to make plans to go out with my friends later. It's important to keep up friendships, after all. How about you? Also, you never answered my question about your username- Green Lantern? Or something else?_

 _ **Friendships are quite important to maintain, I agree with you there. I don't see much of mine, however, but that isn't for lack of trying. I have research to do, letters to write, missions to partake in. The exciting life I lead holds no bounds… And, you were correct in your guess as to the origins of my name. I admit, I was very surprised that you had heard of him. Not many have.**_

 _Yes! I hoped I would be correct! Why don't you see much of your friends? Are they busy, or are you? I bet they would love to be with you, though. Your conversation is interesting, so I don't see why they wouldn't unless they were otherwise detained. What are you researching? Perhaps I can help- I have a job in the Records Department in the Ministry. Let me know, I would love to help._

 _ **You work in the RD? That must be slightly boring, I don't think too many people go down there during the workday. I am researching a cure for Lycanthropy. I have quite a few books on the subject, but I am still no closer to the cure. I feel like I am missing something, but I'm unsure what it is. Do you have any access to anything on Werewolves in the RD? If so, I would love to take a look, if that's at all possible. My friends and I are, as a whole, busy, so our lack of contact falls to the blame of all parties involved. Not much to do about that, I'm afraid.**_

 _I usually bring books with me, as I tend to finish the tasks they set me rather quickly. I can check for you if we have anything on Lycanthropy- I would love to help you try and find a cure. With any luck, I will be able to find that missing piece of the puzzle for you. Or at least guide you in the right direction._

 _ **That would be incredibly kind of you, thank you. What are you reading?**_

 _Oh, I am doing research of my own, actually. On a few different topics. Different magical creatures, their levels of protection, any discrimination, that kind of thing. And then I am working on becoming a Healer, so I am doing research into that field. Basically whatever strikes my fancy. I am a big believer in pursuing your passions as they come._

 _ **That sounds exciting. I actually have quite a few books on both topics if you would like to borrow them sometime.**_

 _Really?_

 _ **It's the least I can do since you are willing to help me with my research. Would you like to borrow them?**_

 _Yes, I would love to! Perhaps you can send them to the Records Department?_

 _ **Of course. It would be my pleasure. Also, I'm terribly sorry, but there are currently about nine hundred owls trying to get my attention, so I think I am going to have to go for now. It was lovely talking to you, though. Hopefully we can again soon.**_

 _I look forward to it. Have a good day! Try not to let the work get you down._

 _ **I will do my best. Unless owls peck off my hands.**_

 _Good luck! Talk to you soon- MF._

 _ **And same to you, my dear. Take care. -WL.**_

Remus looked at the chat log, and was amazed at how much time had passed since they had begun messaging back and forth. He was completely enraptured by her conversation, and was intrigued by the information that he may be able to get his hands on more research materials. He looked at the owls surrounding him, when in fact there were only three, and resigned himself to another day of dismal letter answering to people he did not particularly wish to speak to. Yet he couldn't keep the hint of a smile from his face as he thought about when he could next speak to MoonFlower…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Several days passed, and Remus was beginning to seriously reconsider his line of work. He had just returned from another brutal mission, bruised and battered, and with absolutely nothing to report. Needless to say, his "superiors" were unhappy with him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't control the speed at which plans were revealed, and he was definitely not going to provoke the other Werewolves, not a chance in hell. So, for all intents and purposes, he had done exactly what he needed to do. As for his research, he was able to do an owl exchange with MoonFlower, who had been kind enough to look through the records available to the general public and find what she could on the topic of Werewolves, and had sent him copies, while he had sent her his books on magical creatures and healing. They had been helpful, but he still couldn't figure out what he was missing, and was so far unable to make any giant leaps in the direction of total success. His lunch with Ginny was great; he thought she had matured quite well, and was incredibly pleased with how happy she had become in her life with Harry. They had parted ways amicably, and with the promise to see each other more often, planning to bring Harry along for the ride. Remus was correct when he had thought something had been familiar about NovelPhoenix: it was soon revealed to him that he was conversing with Hermione Granger, and they too promised each other to get together soon. He continued to be at a loss as to the identity of MoonFlower, but he was excited everytime her name popped up on his screen. She was interesting, in an unusual way; she made inferences about him and his life that other people never even thought to notice, barring perhaps Sirius. She made him think about things in a different way, and encouraged him and his pursuits. She was funny, too, in a natural way, and talking to her was easy and relaxed. However, he refused to believe that he felt anything for her other than general comradery, as he had no idea who she really was. It was with this thought in mind that he finally broached the subject to her during one of their nightly chats.

 _ **Can I ask you something?**_

 _Other than what you have just asked me? Sure._

 _ **I suppose I walked right into that one. Okay, so… I am actually kind of nervous about this.. Which is weird, right? I mean, we have been talking to each other constantly for about two months, and I have told you quite a bit about myself, and likewise, but I am still nervous.. Is that strange to you?**_

 _Not at all. And you know you can ask me anything, and I won't judge._

 _ **I know, and that's fantastic. You're fantastic. Okay, here goes… I'm not a Gryffindor for nothing, right? Right. Is there any way, if you are comfortable with the idea, that we could meet in person? I would love to see the face of the person I have become so close to over these past few months. We could do it somewhere incredibly public if that would make you feel more at ease. It's just something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Let me know what you think.**_

Remus quickly shut off his Wizard Tablet, and turned it over so the screen was on the nightstand for good measure. His heart was beating so rapidly that he could barely hear himself thinking over the roaring in his ears. He had absolutely no idea what he was thinking; there is no way she would want to meet! He's old! And a complete stranger! He may as well just delete his account now and be done with it. Remus was thinking about how he could possibly cut off one of Sirius' thumbs so he could delete the app with his fingerprint, when a terrifying chime came from his Tablet. He stared at the back of the device in horror, and decided that being a Gryffindor was overrated, and threw himself into his research. He became so absorbed in what he was doing, that several hours passed before he realized that he hadn't eaten that day. Remus left his room, reading sheafs of paper as he walked, and somehow made it to the kitchen without causing himself any bodily harm. However, he abruptly stopped in the doorway, and audibly gasped. He couldn't believe it. He had completely missed it. His eyes grew wide, and he scanned the papers rapidly, drinking in all of the information that he must have missed in his MoonFlower daze. He whooped, and set himself the task of sending off letters to other researchers, to share what could potentially be the answer to the cure for his affliction. He eagerly attached them to the owl sitting on its perch in the corner, and practically skipped to a window to let him out. Remus watched the bird fly away, until it became a speck in the distance, and felt his heart soar. He couldn't believe his luck, but he would wait for their responses to properly celebrate. As he was coming down from his high, he meandered back towards his room, singing softly to himself, until he saw the Tablet sitting on his bedside table, bringing him crashing back to earth. Remus stood there with his mind racing, before squaring his shoulders resolutely and marching over to grab the offending device. He was resigned to her impending rejection, and figured it would be better to get it over quickly, like the pain of ripping off a muggle bandage. He opened the chat log with MoonFlower, and steeled himself for what he knew was coming.

 _I would love to. Three Broomsticks tomorrow night? How is eight thirty? I will be the one in the yellow sundress with a daisy in my hair. I look forward to finally meeting you._

Remus stared at her message, uncomprehending what he was seeing. She hadn't rejected him. She hadn't run away screaming. She had said she would "love to", even. He thought that his life had in fact peaked this evening; he just had to not mess this up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Remus was panicking. He was sure he had completely lost his mind; he couldn't meet this woman, she would leave as soon as she saw him, of that she was certain. He was too old, too battered, too entrenched in his curse. No woman in her right mind would want to be seen out in public with someone like him. He should probably just cancel, and resign himself to his perpetual bachelor status. Because Remus had finally admitted to himself that he did harbor feelings for this witch, and it was completely detrimental to his psyche. He couldn't stand the idea of putting his curse on someone else, having to watch the pity in their eyes as they looked at him, the disgust as he tried to kiss them. He knew that it would break him, and didn't want this witch to be just like everyone else he had ever tried to court. He was shifting through his wardrobe, trying to find something unassuming, and was no closer to a decision on his outfit than he had been when he had first began looking half an hour ago. It was getting ominously closer to the time when he was supposed to be at the pub, though, so he decided that it would be too rude to cancel now, and grudgingly threw on a pair of tan slacks and a deep blue sweater, before stomping to the aparition point. He figured if she turned tail as soon as she saw who she was meeting, he could at least stay in the pub for a while and get sufficiently sloshed. Maybe he could talk Rosmerta into pouring alcohol in a large vat, so he could shove his face directly in the bowl and literally drown his sorrows. She would probably refuse. Rude. He apparated to Hogsmeade, and made his way through the village before coming to the doors of the establishment where he would soon meet his doom. Remus heaved a great sigh before walking in and taking a seat at the bar. He was still a bit early, and didn't see anyone with her description as he took in his surroundings, figuring it wouldn't hurt to order a drink before she came. Liquid courage, after all. He was almost finished with his second drink when the door swung open, wafting a delightfully flowery perfume across his nose. He turned to see the source of the smell, and his eyes landed on a young woman in a yellow sundress with a daisy in her long, white-blond hair. Remus' eyes widened as he realized a second after who the witch was: Luna Lovegood. Suddenly their conversations made sense to him; the feeling of contentment in her unusual nature, her earnestly saying that people found her off putting in her honesty and blunt declarations, his recognition of some clues she had given him as to her identity. All of those thoughts and more rushed to the forefront of his mind, allowing him a moment of total clarity. The witch he had developed feelings for was Luna Lovegood, and said witch was currently looking around the pub with a slightly nervous fidget that was unlike her usual calm behavior. Remus shook his head to clear the slight fog of drink, and hopped off his bar stool to go meet her at the door.

"Hi, Luna".

She stared at him for a brief searching moment, before her eyes lit up, and a huge smile graced her delicate features.

"WolfLantern?", she asked with hope lilting her voice.

Remus nodded, still bracing himself for when she would understand the implications of it being him on the other end of her screen.

"I hoped it was you".

Her smile softened, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, before pulling him down for the first kiss of many that they would share over their lifetimes. At least, if Sirius had anything to do with it…


End file.
